Poll lifeline to flower trade in summer

Chennai: The election season has offered a modest lifeline to wholesale flower vendors in the city, as wedding demand dries up and business slows down during summer months.Traders at Koyambedu flower market said party workers are purchasing around 20-30 garlands a day, providing some steady demand at a time when sales typically remain very low, barring occasional temple requirements."The dull season has just started as weddings do not take place now. Sales in the coming summer months will be extremely poor. The election season is getting us some sales. It is not brisk business, but is still something. Otherwise, we get either nothing or limited sales where people buy garlands for home use," said S Mookaiah, former president of the Chennai Koyambedu flower traders association.Vendors expect sales to pick up closer to polling day, by which time Tamil New Year would have also boosted demand.Even as demand remains subdued, flower prices have dropped due to seasonal supply. The market is currently flooded with varieties such as jasmine, rose, magnolia and paneer rose. Jasmine is being sold at 200-250 per kg, a sharp fall from 1,000-2,000 per kg during the winter wedding and festival season.Rose and paneer rose are priced at 60-70 per kg, while magnolia costs 15-30 per kg. April is not the season for marigold. "Party workers are buying roses and rose garlands at lower prices," Mookaiah said.Retail vendors said they are receiving requests to customise garlands in party colours, as workers prepare to welcome leaders during campaign visits. "A regular rose garland costs 400-700, while larger ones can range from 4,000 to over 13,000. With flower prices dropping, we are getting more customised orders," said S Kannappan, a vendor in Broadway.Wholesalers added that this is also a dry season in terms of cultivation, as water shortages have affected production. Districts such as Dindigul, which grow flowers like queen's flower, Davana and oleander, are facing severe irrigation constraints.